Watch and Learn
by A'isha Ishtar
Summary: She watched it, rewatched it, over and over. Each time with her notebook, writing any new information. She researched on the internet. "All I want is to... find out what's really the matter with him..." And she's about to find out... firsthand. Tommy/OC
1. Chapter 1

**Ahaha... well, um... yeah I have no excuse for this one. I started writing it earlier yesterday, then TCM: A New Beginning was on last night... so I got inspired to finish it. My mom refused to stay up till midnight to watch it with me, so I viewed Tommy's chainsaw by myself. Missed the first 15 minutes though, which was what I REALLY wanted to see because it explained Tommy's earlier life. Like his childhood and all. ****:( Oh well, some is better than none I suppose.**

**All the info about Thomas was taken from the Leatherface page on Wikipedia, as it states. Not lying about it. XD He WAS diagnosed with neurodegeneration, which is brain cell death, at age 12, and also has a skin disease. As everyone probably knows, but I'm explaining a bit. They neglected, however, to tell us which specific disorders he had. So Maya is trying to figure it out.**

**Enjoy and review!**

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><p>On the surface, Maya Kelly was a normal woman. She was a quiet person, kept to herself, didn't go above or beyond the call of her duty. She was a fairly respected neurologist; her days were spent diagnosing patients and then sending them to the guy who worked the MRI machine. She didn't usually visit them, but if a case interested her enough she might venture down the hospital wing to see how they'd made out.<p>

Nobody would expect it from her, but her squared glasses hid a secret. A dark secret it was: she was a total horror movie junkie. _Friday the 13th_, _Nightmare on Elm Street_ (either version would work, but she preferred Robert Englund playing Freddy Krueger to _anyone_ else), _Hellraiser_, _Halloween_, _Silence of the Lambs_, the _Child's Play_ movies, _The Birds_, _The Thing_, _Psycho_, _I Know What You Did Last Summer_, _Children of the Corn_, _Candyman_, all of the _Saw_ films, _The Ring_, _Dracula_, and any of the _Goosebumps_ series that had been made into specials. Yep, Cartoon Network was good for _something_, at least.

But although she loved all of these movies, and more, there was one she loved above all the others. _Texas Chainsaw Massacre_.

Of course she respected the classic one, the first, but her favorites and the ones she loved most were the 2003 remake and the 2006 prequel. She felt the first movie, as well as most of the others, hadn't gone far enough into Leatherface's past. None of the other films had given him a proper name, or delved into why he was... well, how he was. Why he wore the mask, why he was afraid of new people, why Luda Mae was so protective of him, why Hoyt was an asshole.

... Okay, well, _that_ question still hadn't been answered. But there was progress in this remake movie and its prequel.

Lord knew how many times she'd watched them. She stayed awake on weekends, her eyes glued to the screen. When it ended, she'd hurry and pop the prequel in, then continued the cycle. She always had her notebook on her lap, and she never tore her eyes away from the movies except to write in her book.

That notebook, in fact, was the very reason she lived. She had written on the front, quite plainly, _Leatherface Study_. First of all, so nobody would go sticking their noses into it. It was her business and her business alone. Nobody else needed to know what was in there. Second, that was exactly what it was.

She was analyzing Thomas Brown Hewitt, right down to every last detail. Every move, every expression, every sound he'd ever made and every kill he'd ever accomplished. Every mask he'd ever worn, every weapon he'd ever wielded, every look in his eyes.

Spare time after work brought more research on Tommy. She hit the internet, reading everything she could get her hands on about him. She scrutinized the remake section of the "Leatherface" article on Wikipedia, using that site as her starting point. Then she expanded her horizons, searching for the official _Texas Chainsaw Massacre_ Wiki. After all, _who_ in the world would lie about Leatherface, especially the Thomas Brown Hewitt version?

Disappointed by the lack of content on the official Wiki and on other pages on the net, she simply copied down the information from the actual Wikipedia page. Born with a deformity, Thomas was also mentally retarded. She became intrigued when she read that a doctor had, at one point, diagnosed Thomas with neurodegenration. As it was her profession, she looked through every medical book she could get her hands on about neurodegeneration, as well as sifting through her own experiences.

What _type_ of neurodegeneration did he have? None of the websites she searched on were that specific. "Neurodegeneration" was just an umbrella term for dozens of types of cell death in the brain. Nothing she found ever stated which disease Thomas had; she didn't even know what his skin disease was called. Each of the two disorders could be anything.

She was sitting up again this Friday night, surrounded by textbooks and notes she planned on adding to her _Leatherface Study_ notebook later. She had the soundtrack from _TCM: A New Beginning_ playing in the background as she studied.

"Definitely not Alzheimer's," she mumbled, yawning and turning the page. She crossed that off her list of possible diagnoses. "He's too young - he can't be in his forties, and even that's a little young for Alzheimer's. If he was born in 1939, and all this happened in the 1960s... he'd have to be in his early- to mid-twenties. Twenty-five, twenty-six? Well, maybe he's _almost_ thirty. They say the stuff in _Beginning_ happened in 1969, but the tech doesn't seem as advanced. He's gotta be younger than thirty, even if just a few years. Symptoms don't fit anyway, and I doubt Sloane was a carrier, if it was early-onset."

She swiveled her neck to look at the other book, where she was doing her research on his skin condition. "Psoriasis?" she scoffed incredulously. "As if. None of the types fit." She scratched those off the list and briskly flipped the page. "He doesn't have the white parts present in plaque psoriasis. Erythrodermic psoriasis would make him itch, and it's usually fatal so he'd be dead by now. Any type of pustular psoriasis, and we'd see oozing. Ah... inverse psoriasis, they couldn't show us where most of that would be. And guttate psoriasis... well, that wouldn't show up on his face." She crossed out that one too.

She looked over at her other book. "Parkinson's? No way, that's another one that affects the elderly. Tommy's definitely not in his fifties. Even if he's almost thirty, cases like that are way too rare to even be considered. Not to mention his walk is relatively normal... well, except for the one time he tripped chasing Erin. Poor guy cut himself with his own chainsaw! Ah..." She swept a line through that diagnosis.

She went back to the book on skin diseases. "Dermatitis? Well, I suppose it's possible. It's unlikely though. Contact dermatitis would mean he'd have to be exposed to an allergen, and once he wasn't around it anymore the marks ought to clear up. But they're always there. Eczema's possible, but that tends to flare up. Tommy's is always the same. Rosacea is more common in children and women, Tommy's not either. Herpetiformis only happens with celiac, which he doesn't have. And... atopic is more in low humidity, and Texas is hot as hell. And seborrheic... occurs in people with AIDS, and I don't think... Tommy's..."

She laid her head down, yawning again, twice this time. "Huntington's...? A connective tissue disorder...? ALS...? Fordyce's spots...?"

The song switched and Maya's head fell forward a little more. Her arms were now spread out in front of her on the table, one hand resting on a skewed stack of textbooks, the other clutching her _Leatherface Study_ notebook.

"I just wanna..." she mumbled, her glasses being pushed up a bit on her face as she shifted her head to rest her cheek on the table. "_Know_ Tommy... figure him out... I just wanna _know_ him..."

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><p>Little did she realize, she was about to get her wish.<p>

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><p><strong>Thanks for reading!<strong>

**All the information I got came from pages on Wikipedia, soooo... if I get anything wrong, BLAME THEM. :D**

**If you read, please review! Thank you~ ^^**


	2. Chapter 2

_Oh, God... boy, I really shouldn't have fallen asleep at the table last night... my head is killing me..._

Maya allowed her eyes to open, eyes fluttering several times as she did. Her eyelashes batted like she was trying to dry her mascara, and she yawned a few times, reaching up to remove her glasses and rub her eyes. "Oh man... I'm gonna be late..."

"What are you mumblin' about over there, hon?"

"Nothin', Mama, I'm..." Maya rolled onto the side to go back to sleep, but then her eyes shot wide open. It couldn't be...

She bolted up and twisted her body to look across the room at a woman who looked a lot like Luda Mae Hewitt from _TCM_. This woman, however, had slightly darker hair, but she still had the glasses. She was sitting in the chair, sewing something up. She smiled in a very maternal way. "We didn't even know if you was gonna wake up. How'd you get all the way out here anyway?"

If it was possible, Maya's eyes widened even more. "L-Luda Mae Hewitt?" She quickly adjusted her glasses, wondering if perhaps her vision was playing a trick on her, telling her she needed her specs.

The woman gave her a strange look. "How do you know me when I don't have the slightest clue who you are?" She stood up, placing her sewing where she'd been sitting. "I bet you have a fever. Here." She sat down near Maya's legs and took a cloth from the table on that side. She pressed it against Maya's face, and it was cool against her skin. "Alright, let's see. Can you tell me what year it is?"

Maya blinked a few times, yanking her glasses off and rubbing at her eyes. This was just a dream. It had to be. "Um... is it 1969, Mrs. Hewitt?"

"Well, you're close." Luda Mae put the cloth back on the table and adjusted her own glasses. "It's 1964, dear."

"Oh..." She shook her head. All she could think when she heard the year was that she'd been _right_! TCM hadn't taken place in 1969; it was five years earlier than that. And so that would mean that Tommy wasn't thirty; he was five years younger, which made him twenty-five. That meant he was just one year younger than she was. "I-I'm sorry, I must have... hit my head..."

"We were wonderin' if maybe you did." Luda Mae stood up and gave a quick glance out the window. "What happened to you, anyway? Hoyt told me that him and Tommy found you lyin' clear by the side of the road. Woulda almost missed you."

Maya's head was spinning. "I... ah... h-how long was I asleep?"

"About two days. You must be hungry, can I get you somethin'?"

Maya shook her head, slamming a palm to her cheek. Her fingers curled up onto her temple and she trembled as she took in gulps of air. If Hoyt and Tommy had

been together, then... "Mrs. Hewitt! Did Hoyt kill the real sheriff yet?"

A look of shock flashed across Luda Mae's face for a moment, but it was quickly replaced with confusion. "Why, darling, I have no idea what you're talkin' about."

"Ma'am, look. I don't want no trouble but I gotta know." Maya blinked, looking down at her mouth. "When did I start talking like that? I'm from California, damn it! I'm not some hick!" She smacked the side of her head, causing a ringing in her ear. "All! In! My! Head!"

Luda Mae's hand now rested on the phone. "Maybe I should call Thomas's old doctor and have him take a look at you too..."

"No! No, I'm fine." Maya raised both hands, and then ran her fingers through her dyed aqua hair. "Look, Mrs. Hewitt... do you know about movies?"

"You mean like the ones at the theater they got up in Austin? Sure. Never really seen one - we don't have television around here, you see." She slowly withdrew her hand from the receiver. "What about it?"

"Mrs. Hewitt, I'm going to tell you something, but I really need you not to freak out and tell anyone else in the family, okay? Because believe me, it's going to sound really crazy! You're going to want to admit me to a mental hospital, but don't!" She grabbed her glasses and put them back on. "There's nothing wrong with my brain, and I would know because I'm a doctor too!"

Luda Mae swiveled her head to one side just a little bit. "One of them... crazy doctors? Like at the asylums?"

"No, no." She placed a finger on her head. "I'm a brain doctor. Y-You know - the same kind of doctor that told you Tommy was sick."

"There ain't nothin' wrong with my boy!" Luda Mae shot back, suddenly becoming more violent. She calmed down a little and took in a sharp breath, then let it out before looking away from Maya, at a door. "You work with that hack of a doctor? I would think I'd remember someone with your hair."

"No, ma'am, I don't. I don't even know who he is. B-But I can prove it, I'm a doctor." She patted herself down and when she realized she was still wearing her labcoat, she hurriedly reached into the right pocket. "See!" She held out a laminated plastic card. "Here's my medical license. I just had it updated a few months ago, took some courses and everything, got recertified."

Luda Mae hesitantly took the tag from her and looked it over. "'Maya Kelly, neurologist. Registered at Briar Ivy Hospital in Los Angeles, California. Original certification: June 2006. Recertification issued: May 2010." She looked up at Maya with an incredulous expression. "What are you, then? Some kinda fancy time-traveler? That's darn near impossible."

Maya shrugged. "A lot of things were once considered impossible, Mrs. Hewitt. But I can safely say that we haven't yet accomplished time travel."

"Then how in the Sam heck are you here if you're from the future?"

"Ah, well... remember I told you I was going to need you _not_ to freak out?"

Luda Mae sighed, but sat down in the chair she'd been in before. "Alright, out with it then."

Maya took a deep breath. "Where I come from, Mrs. Hewitt, the story of you and your family is a movie - like the ones at the theater. Only they're a lot better made in my time. The movie is called the _Texas Chainsaw Massacre_. Now, just so I know where we are in the storyline... has Charlie killed Sheriff Hoyt and taken his identity?"

Luda Mae let out a breath. "How do I know you're tellin' the truth?"

Maya reached over and snatched her card, displaying it. "Come on. What kind of idiot do you think I am? Would I, first of all, falsify this kind of information, and second of all, _show_ it to somebody who could easily have their son kill me?"

Luda Mae looked down, then nodded. "Hoyt's dead, and Charlie is Hoyt now."

So then this was just the beginning - the prequel. She was in the first hour of _Beginning_; soon Dean, Eric, Bailey, and Chrissie were going to show up. "Then Tommy's already killed the guy at Blair. And..." She looked around and suddenly stood up in recognition. "Mrs. Hewitt, where's Hoyt right now?"

Luda Mae gestured to the front door. "Out... patrolling."

"Then he's... they're all..." Maya shook her head, trying to remember how exactly it had happened. Once the sheriff's car had pulled up to the house, Hoyt would call Tommy to take Alex's body inside. After that, what happened...?

She didn't get much time to mull it over, because all of a sudden a thumping sound invaded her ears. Her head immediately snapped to that door Luda Mae had been looking at after she'd gotten angry. That was where it was coming from; was that the basement? "Mrs. Hewitt, is that..."

Luda Mae smiled. "Sounds like Tommy's takin' a break from his work there. I bet he's thirsty - that's really the only time he takes breaks, you know, unless somebody goes down there and tells him to take a rest. It's really the only thing he knows, and he sure loves it."

Maya was just about pressing her eyeballs up against the lenses of her glasses, her hands shaking with anticipation. "I'm going to meet him..."

The large door swung open, and Maya squeezed her eyes shut for a second. "I'm not ready, I'm not ready... I'm a hot fucking mess, I'm not ready..."

After a couple of seconds had passed, she decided to stop being such a baby and just open her eyes. He couldn't possibly think _too_ badly of her.

And there, standing right to the side in her vision, was Thomas Hewitt, staring at her.

... Her mother was _so_ going to hear about this when she got home... and her mother was going to roll her eyes at her for idolizing Leatherface.


	3. Chapter 3

**ZOMG CHAPTER SPAMMMMM. XD It's really long, don't get annoyed! LOL.**

**Hope you enjoy! ^^**

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><p><em>Crazy. Stupid. Impaired. Stop grinning like that, you dummy. He's going to think you're an idiot.<em>

Maya immediately stood up, having to do something so she wouldn't just spontaneously collapse in their living room. She got dizzy, but managed to steady herself, and she shook her head. She gripped the cold plastic of her ID tag and slipped it into her pocket as she took a few steps forward.

As she got closer to Thomas, she could really only stare at him. She'd been wishing for _years_ to meet him, to get to this moment. She wasn't really quite sure what to think now that it was actually happening. To see him on the screen was one thing. But when you were truly looking at him for real, in the flesh and all, it was... different. Surreal. She could see him better; stupid movies wanted to keep everything all dark and hush-hush.

She finally reached the point that she was right in front of him. She had to crane her neck to look at his face; he was so much taller than her. Taller than most everybody, really. His eyes were just staring down at her, curious and a little bit frightened, confused. He wanted to know why she was here. It was all she could do not to just reach up and caress his face like she'd wanted to do for such a long time now. Just one touch might give her some insight... but...

He wore the black mask right now. It only covered the bottom of his face, and strapped around to the back of his head. Around his mouth and nose were where most of the disfigurement was anyway, so there wasn't much need for the mask to cover more. It was possible to see a little more of it peeking up over the leather, and at his hairline too. Was that the only mask he had?

"Thomas." Luda Mae finally decided to break the silence. "This is Dr. Kelly. Ain't you gonna say hello or nothin'? Boy, I know I didn't raise _two_ men without manners."

Maya held back any comment about Hoyt. She was rolling around on her mind's carpet laughing like hell though.

She tilted her head a little, to see what Tommy would do and think of her. She smiled a little, imagining that he might shake her hand and smile back.

Instead, Tommy took a step away from her, and she saw what could probably be described as fear on his face. He took another step back, opened the door to the basement, and disappeared behind it. His heavy footsteps could be heard running down the steps.

Maya stared at the door for a moment, confused, hand still raised in greeting and waiting for Tommy's. She then turned around and looked at Luda Mae, an eyebrow raised. "... Did I... do something wrong?"

Luda Mae shook her head. "No, no, honey. I shoulda known - Thomas ain't exactly fond of strangers... new people. Scared of most of 'em. Plus he's had... a few bad experiences with doctors."

"Bad experiences?" Maya rubbed the back of her neck, refraining from biting her lip. "He's afraid of needles?"

"_Afraid_ of 'em?" Luda Mae chuckled. "Poor boy just outright _hates_ 'em. Only needles he ever goes near he uses for sewin'. He's been poked, prodded, stuck so many times. I just got so fed up with them doctors - stopped takin' him by the time he was thirteen."

Maya pushed a lock of her hair behind her ear, then adjusted her glasses. She gestured to the door. "Do you think it'd be okay if I went and talked to him? Or would that just make him upset?"

Luda Mae shrugged. "You can try, I don't know that it's gonna do much."

Maya nodded. "Okay then." She straightened her coat, opened the door, and set one foot down on the first step. Her other foot joined it, and she closed the door, surrounding herself in darkness.

She gripped the wall, for want of a rail, and looked farther down the stairs as she took another step. She could see a faint light glowing at the bottom. "Thomas?" she called, slowly making her way down. "You don't have to be afraid of me. I won't hurt you, I promise. I'm not the kind of doctor you've seen before. I-I could use a hand getting down these steps..."

She could hear him banging around, probably cutting up the sheriff. Was he actually working in that pale light?

"Thomas," she tried again, having nearly reached the bottom. "Why don't you light another lantern down here? You're going to cut yourself..."

All of a sudden she went to step down, but her ankle twisted beneath her. Before she knew it, she was falling forward. She shrieked, waiting for her body to collide with the cold stone floor.

But she landed on something... soft. When she opened her eyes, she was staring up at Tommy... who was holding her in both arms. His eyes were wide, as if he were asking if she was okay.

With his help (and hoping the dim light hid the blush on her face), she righted herself. She pulled her glasses away from her eyeballs; she was wondering how in the world they weren't smudged all to hell by now. "Thanks for catching me, Tommy. Sorry if I scared you."

He looked at her for a few seconds, then turned around and walked back over to his table. He picked up a knife and began slicing up what looked to Maya like an arm.

She walked over to join him, standing on the opposite side of the table. She watched the cuts he made; his hands were delicate, graceful, precise. It was like watching an artist at work. She then glanced up at him, examining the focused, calculating look in his eyes. His mouth, left mostly exposed by the mask, was set in a straight line. "Tommy... can I ask you something?"

His eyes never left his work, but he did give her a nod. At least he understood her.

"It's just..." She played with the sleeves of her labcoat. "I'm not sure how to put it, I have to ask yes or no because I know you can't speak." She let her hands drop by her side again. "Would you... take off your mask for me?"

He shook his head rather violently, and she saw his hand tense up on the knife.

"Please? All I want to do is look. I just want to see what you really look like."

He suddenly slammed the knife down, and sharply turned away from her. A shifting of his shoulders told her he'd crossed his arms over his chest.

She maneuvered around the table to get closer. She placed a hand on his back, trying to coax him into turning back around. "Oh, I didn't mean it like that - I'm sorry." She let her hand slide down a bit, to the middle of his back. "What I meant was... I want to see _Tommy_. The real you. Hiding under that mask all the time, you're never really... _you_, are you?"

She felt him relax a little, and his arms dangled by his sides again. He stiffly shook his head, rubbing one arm with the other hand. Then he made a noise that could probably be interpreted as "Uh-uh."

She lightly rubbed his back, trying to calm him down a little. It would be so much easier if he trusted her. "Tommy... would it maybe make you feel a little more comfortable if you knew my first name? If you didn't have to call me Dr. Kelly?"

He seemed to think about this for a minute. After he had, he offered her an almost imperceptible nod.

She allowed herself a small, hidden grin of victory. Progress! "Okay. My first name is Maya, and that's what you can call me."

He gradually turned to face her, then nodded and returned to the table to finish his job.

She followed him, assuming the same position as before. "Now, what about you?" she pressed, watching him work with the knife again. "Do you like to be called Thomas, or Tommy?"

He shrugged, making another cut. He used the knife to slide some of the flesh to the side before continuing.

"Either one?"

Nod.

"Okay then. That's good, I can do that." She looked down at his hands again. He was almost done with this limb. He worked with the pace of a surgeon. "So, did you like working at Blair, Tommy? The slaughterhouse?"

He nodded, and made another cut.

"That's good. I'm really sorry you and the others lost your jobs. It seems to me, just by this place, that you really like butchering."

He paused in his work, then gestured to the now-dissected arm. After that he made a motion like he was eating, then stared at her.

"Huh?" She crossed her arms. "Oh, no, that's not so bad, Tommy. You know, some kinds of snakes eat their own young. Tell me that's not worse."

Tommy gave her a confused look, then held his arms up as if he were rocking an infant.

She giggled, then nodded. "Yes, Tommy, their babies."

He shuddered, pressing a hand to the side of his temple as if he couldn't believe that.

"I know, I know. Most animals don't get attached to their children like humans do. Are there any snakes around here?"

He nodded, then made wiggling motions with his fingers.

"Rattlesnakes?"

Another nod. Then he held up a finger, before clamping two fingers down on his leg like fangs. He let go and put the back of his hand over his forehead, making wheezing and coughing sounds.

Maya raised an eyebrow as she tried to decipher this display. "_Oh_. I get it - you have to be careful, 'cause if they bite you, it'll make you sick. Is that it?"

He nodded.

"Have you ever been bitten?"

Another nod.

"Just once? How many times?" Well, if she worded it _that_ way, she was learning about his math abilities at the same time.

He held up one finger.

"Oh, once. How old were you?"

He held up both hands, displaying all ten fingers to her.

Huh, she'd expected his math skills to be not... as good. She was impressed. "Ten. So you were just little."

He nodded, then gestured to her with one hand.

"Me? Oh, I've never been bitten."

She thought she saw a smile forming on his lips, and he made a movement like he was smacking the backs of his hands on a table. A sort of "Well, let's keep it that way, huh?" gesture.

She laughed. "Oh, don't worry. I'll be very careful when I go outside."

Just then, there was a sound upstairs like someone had slammed a door. Probably had, too, actually. "Thomas!" came a loud, grating male voice. "Get your ass up here! I got a job for you!"

Maya glanced over at Tommy, who was hurriedly putting his knife and other things away. "That Hoyt?"

He nodded frantically, then started up the stairs.

She blinked. So Tommy was afraid of Hoyt?

Wait. If Hoyt was here already... that meant he'd found the teenagers. Then Monty had probably left, to go get the car where Chrissie was. And Alex's body was in the same car with the others - Dean, Eric, and Bailey. That was the job Hoyt had for Tommy... the body.

"H-Hey!" She followed Tommy, though it was hard to keep pace with him. For someone so big he was sure fast. "Wait up, Tommy! I'm coming with you!"

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><p><strong>DA DA DA... DAAAAAAAAA~<strong>

**The suspense is killing me softly... XD Yay random song references!**

**... REVIEWS ARE WELCOMED, LOVED, AND GIVEN A GOOD HOME. ^^**


	4. Chapter 4

**Wowee! Sorry it's been so long. But I talked my mom into watching both TCM movies with me. Hehehehe! Can you BELIEVE she doesn't understand how I can identify with Tommy? *rolls eyes* She says she feels sorry for him but can't identify with him. *shrug* Ah well, I guess it's a gift. :D**

**I'll try to stick as close to the movie as I can, but I may have to change a FEW things because of what Maya says or does. *shifty eyes* Plotting? Who's plotting? XD**

**Hope you enjoy!**

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><p>Maya gave a fleeting smile to Luda Mae as she hurried after Tommy out the door. She managed to catch up to him and she grabbed his shirt, trying not to fall behind again. "T-Tommy!"<p>

He finally slowed down once they got halfway to the car, but she still didn't take her hand off him. He looked back at her, and brushed his hand against hers several times, motioning for her to let go. She did as he asked, though she stayed close behind him as they approached the vehicle.

She glanced up at Hoyt, who was leaning against the side of the car. "Well now," he sneered. "Finally got your ass up, did ya? Lazy Mary, I told Tommy we shouldn'ta wasted time pickin' you up. But the boy's too soft - makes toys outta the most useless things, y'know?"

Maya gripped Tommy's shirt again, this time with both hands, and shrunk behind him, trying to make herself scarce. "Tommy, can we go back in now...?" She knew Hoyt was an asshole, but she also knew he wasn't one of the harmless ones. He would torture people for no reason; she really didn't want to _give_ him a reason. That would be digging her own grave. She remembered what he was going to do to Dean and Eric... she didn't want to join them in being hung from her wrists, suffocated with Saran wrap, and then made to do twenty push-ups.

Tommy shot a look back at her, then shot one at Hoyt. His eyes narrowed and he grunted, sweeping an arm behind him to rest across Maya's shoulder, waist, and arm. He then gestured down to the car, jerking his head to where Alex's dead body sat. From what Maya could tell, he was asking if Hoyt was going to kill her like he'd killed Alex.

Hoyt scoffed. "I already told you, Tommy, I ain't gonna do nothin' to her while she's still alive. I gave ya a damn American promise, didn't I? Now go on, get the girl and take her inside with your toy."

Tommy let out a deep sigh, but nodded and bent down into the car, slinging Alex's corpse over his shoulder rather unceremoniously. He made a noise directed at Hoyt, looked Maya in the eyes, and jerked his head in a gesture that was basically akin to _"Follow me. Now."_

Maya headed after him, eager to get away from the car and his brother/uncle, but something caught her by the arm. She was twisted around, to see that it had been Hoyt, who was gripping her near the shoulder very tightly now. "What do you want from me?" she asked, forcing herself not to just spit in his face. Unlike a percentage of the fanbase, she had never been fond of him.

His grasp tightened, and he smirked slightly as he saw her wince. "I'm gonna tell you straight up, little girl. I _don't_ like you. I don't like doctors as most of 'em, and I just don't like _you_. You got weird hair and you got this damn look in your eye. You wanna know why we're all puttin' up with you? 'Cause _Tommy_ likes you. Tommy don't like many people. So I'm tellin' you... if you do _anything_ to screw it up, _you're_ screwed. You upset the boy, you so much as step one _toe_ outta line... I'll cut the whole damn _foot_ off. You understand me, little lady?"

She gulped and looked down, not wanting to meet his eyes. He talked about something in her eyes that wasn't right, but there was something in _his_ eyes that was downright terrifying... cruel. She certainly didn't blame Tommy for being scared of him. She'd just thought he was an ass who got off on abusing people, but now she could see there was something _awful_ about him, something that truly frightened her. "Y... Yes, sir."

All of a sudden a shout came from the other direction. Maya snapped her head that way to see Tommy standing outside the house now. He didn't have Alex's body with him anymore, and he was waving his hands and yelling at her. She couldn't understand anything he was saying, of course, but _hell_ if she didn't know anger and impatience when she saw it.

Hoyt let go of her, roughly pushing her forward. She almost lost her balance, but managed to keep herself standing and looked back at him. "Get goin', girl. Boy'll throw a fit if you don't. Go on, get!"

_Don't have to tell me twice, you punk-ass fake._ She quickly ran toward Tommy, faster than she'd ever run in her life, and before she knew what she was doing she'd thrown her arms around him. She felt tears soaking her eyes, and she pressed her face into his chest. She didn't cry, she didn't sob, but her chest heaved and there were tears. Her fingertips dug into Tommy's back as she felt him awkwardly put his arms around her in return. When she looked up, he was giving her a confused but gentle look.

"I know, Tommy." Her voice was barely a whisper, but she knew he heard it. He heard everything. "I know why you're afraid of him. I am too."

He nodded in understanding and out of nowhere he'd slid his hand under her legs and swept her into his arms. Surprised, she only tightened her grip, resting her head against his chest now. She looked up at him, eyes wide, because according to the best of her knowledge, this was _not_ in character for him. Not with any of the other characters anyhow - did he think something was different about her? And... why was her heart beating so fast? "Tommy... what...?"

He smiled at her, and somehow that just made it... not matter. It didn't matter why he was carrying her. It didn't matter that he was confusing her out of her damn scientist mind. All that mattered was his smile; that sweet, bitter, caring, beautiful smile. She could easily decipher what that smile meant - it meant he was carrying her because he _wanted_ to, because she treated him a way that none of his peers had ever treated him before, with respect and kindness.

She held on around his neck as he carried her inside, and the tears were still running down her face. The fear and disdain that had filled them because of Hoyt was gone, replaced by the happiness she felt when she looked at Tommy now. She just held onto him, pressing her cheek and the side of her eye against his shoulder.

She could discern now that he had his own unique scent, one that you could only smell if you were this close to him, right up on his skin. It was like the aroma of flesh, sawdust, and sweet perspiration. She liked it; she wanted to stay there for a long time, just taking it in. "Oh Tommy," she mumbled against his shirt, sighing heavily. "If only I could show you... how I feel right now. Do you know how long I've wanted to meet you?"

He carefully deposited her onto the couch, where she'd been lying before. It was different for Maya to see him like this, so gentle... she was used to watching him on the television screen, in throes of passionate rage and consumed by the chase. His touch hadn't been this soft when he'd handled Alex's body, and she was a woman too. What did he think was so different about her?

She felt him sit down, and for a minute he just stared at her, with those beautiful brown eyes. Finally he raised his hands, and she noticed they were heading for her face. She barely managed to hold her breath, waiting for... something. What was he going to do?

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><p><strong>AND CLIFFHANGER!<strong>

***hides from readers throwing chainsaws at her* IT WASN'T MY FAULT! I SWEAR!**

**Also... hehehe... I'm starting a new one, called "Clouds". Who might be interested in reading it? :D**

**Reviews are much appreciated and make me soooo super happy.**

**Thanks for reading! ^^**


	5. Chapter 5

**WOWEE. It has been a while, hasn't it? *dodges more chainsaws* I SO SORRY~**

**But SOMEHOW, by some ONCE IN A LIFETIME stroke of luck... I convinced my mom to watch the movies with me again. :D I COULD watch them by myself, but my grandparents won't let me and when you're the only one in the house... let's say it can be a little creepy. Not that I don't love Tommy, just... you know. A big guy suddenly running down the stairs with a chainsaw... not the most comforting image to think of when you're alone in a house.**

**... Yeah I know, I'm a sissy. XD I'M SORRYYYYYYYY~**

**But hey. To make up for the wait, I wrote you guys an EXTRA LONG CHAPTER in one day. How cool? Well... the beginning two paragraphs were done. I wrote the rest of it JUST today. Can we say horror movie kick comin' up? Why yes, I do declare we can! *is ignored***

**Sorry... been watchin' it too much, I've started to sound like it... CHAINSAW GOOD.**

**Hope you guys enjoy, and the wait for the next chapter shouldn't be so long, I know exactly how I want it to go and I'm excited to write it****!**

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><p>Maya's pounding heart and unspoken curiosity came to an end when Tommy reached both hands forward and wrapped his fingers around both arms of her glasses and slowly sid them off her face. His fingertips brushed just lightly against her cheeks as he did, allowing her to feel the rough texture of his skin. She let out the trapped breath, but immediately sucked in another to take its place. She watched him intently, hoping to learn more about how he was communicating.<p>

He carefully set her glasses down on the table, and then turned back to her. His big, beautiful brown eyes stared at her, not even blinking. His hand reached up, and before she knew what he was doing he'd cupped her cheek on his hand. She trembled just a little, being so close to someone she admired and still just a little afraid of what he might do. His hands were rough, slightly calloused, and still covered in dried blood. His hand moved up, his fingers tracing against her temple, and then he did something she didn't expect.

He smiled. He really, actually _smiled_. Then he nodded, pulling his hand away.

Maya smiled back, somewhat understanding what he was trying to say. "You... think I look better with my glasses off?"

He waved his hands, then gestured to her glasses, to her face, and back, over and over.

"Oh... you like how I look no matter if I have 'em on or not?"

He nodded, rubbing his head with one hand.

"You were just curious, is that it?"

"Uh-huh." He looked down, then grabbed her glasses again and very carefully put them back on her face, before looking down again. He had his hands in his lap, and wrung them a bit for a minute, then quickly got up and headed for the basement door.

Maya blinked as she twisted her head to look, he was opening the door and starting down. She hurriedly got up to follow, but as she did, she'd turned to catch the door slamming, and a glimpse of Hoyt dragging Bailey into the house. She backed up, trying to follow Tommy, but it was hard to take her eyes off Bailey.

The right side of the blonde's forehead, and all down her cheek, was bloody, and it had dried just a little, plastering a few strands of her hair to it. She was shouting and crying, trying to get away from Hoyt who had what was obviously a painful grip on her. He was pulling her into the kitchen, where Luda Mae was. She'd now spotted Maya and was wriggling desperately, waving and reaching out toward the other woman. "Please!" she screamed, even as Hoyt was dragging her in. "Help me! You've gotta help me, please! _PLEASE_!"

"Shut the hell up!" Hoyt threw her down, and it looked like this was where Luda Mae came in, to keep Bailey quiet and tie up her wrists to the table. He looked back at Maya, and he didn't move. Just the _look_ in his eyes froze her. "You get goin' down to Tommy now, you hear?"

She swallowed, took a step back, nearly tripped over herself, and bolted toward the basement door. Tommy had shut it after himself, and _why_ in the hell would he, she wondered. Hadn't he seen her following him? She pulled on it, and to her shock - and a little horror - it was locked. "Tommy!" She banged on the door with both fists. "Open the door!"

She heard his chainsaw going at it, and the sound ran shivers up and down her spine. Maybe he was cutting up Alex, and he didn't want her to see... but she'd seen him chopping up that arm earlier. Maybe it was just the whole removing-the-limbs-from-the-body thing he didn't want her to see.

She pounded on the door again, harder this time. "Unlock the door! Tommy! Get up here and let me in!" She slumped against the door, breathing heavily. "Thomas Hewitt, you get up here and _open this damn door_!"

The whirring of the chainsaw stuttered to a halt, and then she heard Tommy coming up the stairs. The same sound she'd heard when she first met him an hour ago - not horribly loud, as someone would expect from a person of his size. He wasn't in any hurry, just relaxed and walking along.

She quickly moved back, away from her former position of hugging the door, since it opened out. It opened a little, and the edge of Tommy's face peeked out at her. If she had to name what that looked like to her, she would have probably guessed embarrassment. The fingers of one hand were drumming up and down on the door, and there was a skittish look in his eye, like he expected to be scolded or yelled at.

She took a step toward him. "What's the matter, Tommy? Because you told me you liked how I look?"

He disappeared behind the door so that even less of his face could be seen, his head pointing down at the carpet. He was quiet and restless and inert for a long time, it seemed. Finally he grunted softly, nodding just enough that a regular person might miss it.

She smiled and put her hand over his on the door. "Tommy, that isn't anything to be embarrassed about, you know. It was nice of you to tell me that, and it made me feel good."

He snapped his head up, and she could see his eyes again, and he looked almost confused. His hand came up off the door and wrapped around hers. The look in his eyes softened a little, and his hand was warm in hers. His other arm came out from behind the door, and reached out to her face, trailing down from her forehead to her cheek again.

Maya was still smiling, though it did falter a little when her eyes flickered to his hands. Now she realized why they were so warm; he was covered in fresh blood from Alex's body. And he'd just dragged his other hand, also stained with blood, across her face. She took in a deep breath through her mouth before trying to continue the conversation. She was somewhat used to the smell of blood, but this close it was a little overwhelming.

After a minute she was brave enough to try breathing through her nose again, and she blinked at him. He was staring at her, his eyes roving all around her face, and she noticed he was licking his teeth too. His tongue flicked over them slowly, then poked out at his bottom lip. He withdrew his hand and placed it over his chest, where more blood was. He glanced down, then looked back at up at her, and he was smiling again as he was running his tongue over his teeth.

She didn't know what it all meant, but she could take a guess. She wasn't sure if the blood on her face meant he'd somehow, in his mind, marked her as his own, but she could try to interpret everything else. "Do I... Do I look pretty, Tommy?"

His nodding was slow at first, then after a second he started nodding more eagerly. The smile never left his face. He brought both hands up to her face, holding them against her cheeks, even with her hand in one. It was a swift and harsh action on his part, but it didn't hurt. Then he leaned down and pressed his face into that little area between her shoulder and neck, removing one hand and wrapping it on her arm. She felt his mask, hot and a bit rough, but she also felt his skin, wet from perspiration but soft and smooth against hers. She heard him inhale deeply, and then he sighed, almost sounding peaceful.

"You..." She giggled a little, patting his back. "Like my face, Tommy?"

A quick nod into her shoulder, then a kind of contented "mm" sound.

"I'm sure if you ever took the mask off, I'd like yours too."

Again, the "mm", but not quite as happy-sounding this time. More... melancholy, or frustrated. "Uh, uh..." he muttered, blowing out a hot breath against her neck that made her shiver inwardly.

"Think about it? I wouldn't make fun of you."

She felt his cool skin heat up a little, and she had to grin. She'd really made him blush, hadn't she? "Uh... uh... u-uh... uh..."

And then Hoyt had to go and ruin it all.

"Well hell, Tommy!" came his grating, sadistically amused voice. "She's _your_ bonus bitch! You do what you want, whatever it is. Sure she won't mind."

Tommy pulled away immediately, letting go of Maya completely. He very nearly vanished behind the door again, but she grabbed his hand. "Hey you, _you_ wait!" she told him, shooting a glare at Hoyt. It was clear that the bastard had just gotten him all bothered and embarrassed again. "Don't let him get to you, Tommy. What he says, it doesn't matter _that_ much, does it? I know he's your family, but you shouldn't let him upset you like that."

Tommy shook his head violently, and to her he looked about ready to cry. He tried to head back down the stairs, but she kept a firm grip on his wrist. How, she didn't know - adrenaline maybe. "Uh... uh-uh... uh, uh..."

"No, Tommy, it's _not_ okay!" She pulled him back toward her, and reached up with her free hand to run a finger along the edge of his mask. "Getting this upset isn't good for you. You just don't listen to him, okay? He can only get to you if you let him, and don't you ever give anyone that kind of power over you."

Hoyt snorted. "Why don't you get goin' down there, huh? Shut your damn self up for a while, _Doctor_."

Tommy's hand tensed up on hers, and she glare-pouted at Hoyt. "And would you stop it! He doesn't like bein' reminded I'm a doctor! Why don't you go out and make someone do push-ups?"

"Oh yeah, how 'bout you? What you do, bitch - boy kind or girl kind?"

"Whichever you want me to do, _sir_. I can do both. But I ain't gonna." She gripped Tommy's hand, trying to give him as reassuring of a squeeze as she could manage. "I'm gonna talk to Tommy. Maybe you oughta go and help Mrs. Hewitt with lunch."

He scoffed. "I don't know 'bout you, bitch, but we already had that. I guess you just gonna hafta wait till supper, ain't you?"

"Fine. I'll survive." She let go of Tommy's hand, but only after nodding at him to make sure he wouldn't leave. "Just spending some time with Tommy should be plenty good enough. Let me starve, I don't care as long as I can be with Tommy."

Tommy grunted, and she looked behind her to see that he was shaking his head at her. "Uh-uh!"

"See." She waved her hand at him. "Tommy'd never let you starve me. He'd make sure I get fed."

Hoyt nodded, but he looked like he was going to test her or something. He had that same look in his eyes that he'd had when he was torturing Dean and Eric - he didn't think she would be able to brave one of their dinners. Frankly she wasn't sure herself, but she wouldn't let him know that and she'd sure as hell try. "Fine. Let's just wait... we'll just see if you can make it to supper, Missy. Down in the basement with my nephew... hell, Doctor Bitch, you ain't stand no chance."

Maya turned sharply away from him, scowling and fuming. Eric was right, he was a damn motherfucker. How _dare_ he try to control Tommy's feelings like this, and insult her, and then try and pass Tommy off as some kind of monster who couldn't control his anger. Granted he didn't have the best temper ever, but she trusted him. She'd be more afraid alone with the _Tea Lady_ than with Tommy.

Speaking of who. When she finally calmed down enough to look back at Tommy, he was staring at her again. He slowly outstretched his hand, palm up, as a kind of offering to her. He gave a hopeful smile, and moved his head like he was nudging something with it. "Uh... uh...hmm...?"

She gave him a smile in return, and placed her hand in his, mentally giggling at the fact that his hand was so much bigger than hers. It was kind of cute, really, how he really _was_ bigger than her in every way. At least that way she knew he'd be able to protect her if he wanted to - it made her feel so safe with him. "Yeah, let's go be alone for a while, Tommy. It's too crowded up here anyway."

His smile widened a little, and his fingers closed around hers, heat enveloping her hand. He took one step down, and nodded to the door.

"Yeah, I'll get it, Tommy." She grasped the doorknob with her free hand, only to find that Tommy had stepped down again and if she didn't as well she'd fall. He'd catch her, of course, she knew that, but it wasn't right to take advantage of him by being clumsy at every chance got. She stepped down and pulled the door shut.

She made an annoyed face at the last thing she heard before closing it. "You two have fun now, you hear?"

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><p><strong>Oooh! This was SO much fun to write. They connected SOOOOOO much. Wait... sounding like a Valley Girl...<strong>

**Okay, okay... TEXAS Chainsaw Massacre, not California Tanning Bed Massacre...**

**Tommy: Uh, uh... uh... uh... (Is that even a real movie?)**

**Me: ... Okay, I'm getting it here... TEXAS YES~**

**Well ain't that sweet! They're gettin' to know each other more and it looks like they got a bond forming. I think this is my favorite chapter yet, it was beautiful and deep and most important, FUN TO WRITE!**

**The newest one of this shouldn't be too too long, and then the next chapter of "Clouds" hopefully be up soon. I can't really PROMISE, because school starts soon and it will be HECTIC. But I'm going to try my best! In fact, I'll start writing more RIGHT NOW!**

**... Ah wait... so tired... waaaa~ I promise I'll write more tomorrow, I shall WILL myself to DREAM of Tommy. I hope... or else it'll be that cute little blind boy who I intend to write a story about because he's just so super adorable. Either way it'll be somebody who's nice and sweet and someone I can grin at who won't think I'm a weirdie.**

**ALSO. And this is a big ALSO so please look at it...**

**Will hopefully be starting a new Tommy story, beginning with his younger years (CUTE LITTLE KIDDIE TOMMY!) and an OC. If I can get all the PLOT WHAT PLOT? straightened out and figure out how to complete the first chapter. If anyone's interested, it's going to be called "Texas Toast and Other Mysteries".**

**... Yes... yes, I am lame. BLAME IT ON MY PARENTS AND THEIR INHERENT UN-COOLNESS.**

**Well, good-bye all! Reviews keep my writing, so if you want more chapters a review is the best guarantee~**

**Thanks for reading! ^^**


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